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Cyril of Jerusalem
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Saint Cyril of Jerusalem |
| Saints: Cyril of Jerusalem |
Cyril of Jerusalem (c.315–387), archbishop, Doctor of the Church. Born in or near Jerusalem and educated there, he became a priest and was entrusted by St. Maximus with the instruction of catechumens. These catechetical discourses, delivered both to those preparing for, as well as those who had just received Baptism, form his most famous work. He became bishop c.349; in the first year of his episcopate strange lights were reported to appear over the city. He soon became involved in determining the precise status of his see in view of a claim by the metropolitan of Caesarea, Acacius, to precedence and jurisdiction over him; he also accused him of heresy. Cyril refused to appear before a council of bishops who charged him both with contumacy and with having sold church goods to relieve the poor. The emperor was brought into the dispute; Cyril was exiled in 357, recalled in 359, and banished again later twice. His own orthodoxy had been questioned, both by the ‘homoousians’ and by the Arians: some writers see him as on the left wing of orthodoxy or on the right wing of the semi-Arians, others insist that although afraid of the word homoousios earlier, he took a full part and consented to the conclusions of the Council of Constantinople (381). Earlier he had been reinstated in his see by the Council of Seleucia which deposed his accuser Acacius; he was probably orthodox throughout in intention, if not always in language. He died at the age of about seventy after being bishop for 35 years, of which about 16 were spent in exile. He was named a Doctor of the Church in 1882. Feast: 18 March.
Bibliography
Click here for a list of abbreviations used in this bibliography.
- AA.SS. Mart. II (1668), 625–33
- A. Fortescue, The Greek Fathers (1908), pp. 150–68
- works ed.W. K. Reischl and J. Rupp (1848–60), catechetical discourses by F. L. Cross (1951)
- see also W. J. Swaans, ‘A propos des catéchèses mystagogiques attribuées à S. Cyrille de Jérusalem’, Le Museon, xl (1942), 6–43 and J. Lebon, ‘La position de S. Cyrille de Jérusalem dans les luttes provoquées par l'arianisme’, R.H.E., xx (1924), 181–210 and 357–86. P. W. L. Walker, Holy City, Holy Places? (1990), H.S.S.C., iii. 127–33
| Wikipedia: Cyril of Jerusalem |
For other uses, see Cyril.
| Saint Cyril of Jerusalem | |
|---|---|
| Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church | |
| Born | ca. 313, possibly near Caesarea Maritima, Palestine |
| Died | 386, Jerusalem, Palestine |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Anglican Communion |
| Feast | March 18 |
Cyril of Jerusalem (Greek Κύριλλος Α΄ Ἱεροσολύμων) was a distinguished theologian of the early Church (ca. 313[1] – 386). He is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. In 1883, Cyril was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII.
Contents |
Life and character
Little is known of his life before he became bishop but some is known ; the assignment of the year "315" for his birth rests on mere conjecture. It seems with, more assurance, closer to 313. St. Cyril was ordained deacon by Bishop St. Macarius of Jerusalem about 335, and priest some eight years later by Bishop St. Maximus. About the end of the year 350, he succeeded St. Maximus in the See of Jerusalem.[2] Naturally inclined to peace and conciliation, St. Cyril took at first a rather moderate position, distinctly averse from Arianism, but (like not a few of his undoubtedly orthodox contemporaries) by no means eager to accept the uncompromising term homooussios (ὁμοούσιος). Separating from his metropolitan, Acacius of Caesarea, a partisan of Arius, St. Cyril took the side of the Eusebians, the "right wing" of the post-Nicene conciliation party, and thus got into difficulties with his superior, which were increased by Acacius's jealousy of the importance assigned to St. Cyril's See by the Council of Nicaea. A council held under Acacius's influence in 358 deposed St. Cyril and forced him to retire to Tarsus. At that time he was officially charged with selling church property to help the poor, although the actual motivation appears to be that St. Cyril was teaching Nicene and not Arian doctrine in his catechism. On the other hand, the conciliatory Council of Seleucia in the following year, at which St. Cyril was present, deposed Acacius. In 360 the process was reversed through the metropolitan's court influence, and Cyril suffered another year's exile from Jerusalem, until Emperor Julian's accession allowed him to return. The Arian Emperor Valens banished him once more in 367. St. Cyril was able to return, once more, at the accession of Emperor Gratian, after which he remained undisturbed until his death in 386. St. Cyril's jurisdiction over Jerusalem was expressly confirmed by the First Council of Constantinople (381), at which he was present. At that council, he voted for acceptance of the term homooussios, having been finally convinced that there was no better alternative.[2]
Theological position
Though his theology was at first somewhat indefinite in phraseology, he undoubtedly gave a thorough adhesion to the Nicene orthodoxy. Even if he does avoid the debatable term homooussios, he expresses its sense in many passages, which exclude equally Patripassianism, Sabellianism, and the formula "there was a time when the Son was not" attributed to Arius. In other points he takes the ordinary ground of the Eastern Fathers, as in the emphasis he lays on the freedom of the will, the autexousion (αὐτεξούσιον), and his imperfect realization[citation needed] of the factor so much more strongly brought out in the West—sin. To him sin is the consequence of freedom, not a natural condition. The body is not the cause, but the instrument of sin. The remedy for it is repentance, on which he insists. Like many of the Eastern Fathers, he has an essentially moralistic conception of Christianity[citation needed]. His doctrine of the Resurrection is not quite so realistic as that of other Fathers; but his conception of the Church is decidedly empirical—the existing catholic Church form is the true one, intended by Christ, the completion of the Church of the Old Testament. His doctrine on the Eucharist is noteworthy. If he sometimes seems to approach the symbolical view, at other times he comes very close to a strong realistic doctrine. The bread and wine are not mere elements, but the body and blood of Christ.
Catechetical lectures
His famous twenty-three catechetical lectures (Greek Κατηχήσεις), which he delivered while still a presbyter in 347 or 348, contain instructions on the principal topics of Christian faith and practise, in rather a popular than a scientific manner, full of a warm pastoral love and care for the catechumens to whom they were delivered. Each lecture is based upon a text of Scripture, and there is an abundance of Scriptural quotation throughout. After a general introduction, eighteen lectures follow for the competentes, and the remaining five are addressed to the newly baptized, in preparation for the reception of Holy Communion. These last instructional addresses are called mystagogic (μυσταγωγικαί), because they deal with the mysteries (μυστήρια) i.e. Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.[3]
Parallel with the exposition of the Creed as it was then received in the Church of Jerusalem are vigorous polemics against pagan, Jewish, and heretical errors. They are of great importance for the light which they throw upon the method of instruction usual of that age, as well as upon the liturgical practises of the period, of which they give the fullest account extant.
St. Cyril's feast day is commemorated on March 18.
References
- ^ Walsh, Michael, ed. Butler's Lives of the Saints. (HarperCollins Publishers: New York, 1991), pp 83.
- ^ a b *"Lives of the Saints, For Every Day of the Year" edited by Rev. Hugo Hoever, S.O.Cist., Ph.D., New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1955, p. 112
- ^ *"The Penguin Dictionary of Saints, 3rd Edition", Donald Attwater and Catherine Rachel John, New York: Peguin Putnam Inc., 1995, p. 101
- "The Penguin Dictionary of Saints, 3rd Edition", Donald Attwater and Catherine Rachel John, New York: Peguin Putnam Inc., 1995, ISBN 0-14-051312-4
- "Lives of the Saints, For Every Day of the Year" edited by Rev. Hugo Hoever, S.O.Cist., Ph.D., New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1955
- Omer Englebert, "Lives of the Saints" New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1994, ISBN 1-5661-9516-0
External links
- Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Cyril of Jerusalem
- EWTN Library: St. Cyril, Confessor, Archbishop of Jerusalem
- Tradition In Action - Saint of the Day: St. Cyril of Jerusalem - March 18
| Preceded by Maximus III |
Bishop of Jerusalem 350–386 |
Succeeded by John II |
This article includes content derived from the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, 1914, which is in the public domain.
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- O crux splendidior, antiphon in mode 1 (Liber Usualis No. 1453) (Classical Work)
